Brick-kiln



(No Model.) 7 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. O. ANDERSON.

BRICK KILNQ 310,379,040. Patented Mar. 6, 1888.

N. PETERS Plmlo-Lilhognphur. Washinglon. D. c.

(No Modld J. CVANDERSON BRIGK KILN.

.7 Sheets-Shet 3.

Patented Mar 6, 1888.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES C. ANDERSON, or HIGHLAND PARK, ILLINoIs.

ePncrPIcA-rIoN forming part of Letters Patent No. 379,040, dated March a, 1888.

Application filed August 17, 1887. Serial No. 247,204. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JAMES C. ANDERSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Highland Park, in the county of Lake and State of and the body shown in dotted lines.

Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Kilns for Burning Brick, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in the method of and apparatus for burning brick and other clay articles, and belongs more particularly to that class of kilns known as continuous or progressive burning kilns.

The object of my invention is to provide a kiln for the continuous and progressive burning of fine brick, in which the same are kept free from the fumes and deteriorating effects of direct contact with the products of combus tion.

My invention consists in the devices hereinafter described, by which brick are burned in a kiln having two tunnels through which two trains of cars carrying the brick to be burned are caused to pass in opposite directions by heat transmitted through the walls of the tunnels without bringing the bricks in contact with fumes and deteriorating flames of the fire, and, furthermore, in utilizing the heat of the brick already burned to water-smoke and partially burn the brick before they reach th furnaces.

Referring to the drawings,Figure 1 is a vertical sectional end View of my improved kiln, taken on the line X X of Fig. 2 through the furnaces. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a portion of the division-wall separating the two tunnels. Fig. 4 is a top or plan View of the kiln with a portion of the roof removed. Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view of the kiln, showing the loaded cars therein with spaces between the stacks of bricks. Fig. 6 is a top or plan View of one end of the tunnel, a portion being broken away to show the openings between the two tunnels. Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional end view of a car with al'oad of bricks thereon Fig. 8 is an end View looking into the kiln. Fig. 9 is a top or plan view of the-tracks leading to and from the tunnels. Fig. 10 is a side view of a frame on which the cambodies are supported, and from which they are lowered onto the trucks after the load of bricks has been burned and-brought out of the kiln. Fig. 11 is an end view of the frame mentioned above, with a loaded car standing underneath, ready to receive the car-body. Fig. 12 is an end View of the kiln, showing the doors closed and the cars therein in dotted lines.

In the burning of brick as commonly practiced much time is wasted or consumed by having to use low fires in the water-smoking process, and then there is another loss of time in firing to bring the temperature of the kiln and the bricks therein up to the white heat required, while still another loss of time, but not to so great an extent, is caused in raising the temperature of the kiln and the bricks therein up to the final burning or pottery point.

By the apparatus hereinafter described I am enabled to burn the brick in amuch shorter space of time for the following reasons: First, that the temperature of the kiln is always the same, the cars when they first enter the kiln being introduced ata point where the temperature is-lowest, but is sufficiently high to warm the bricks and carry off the water smoke before it is moved up to a point opposite the furnaces; second, the cars being narrow and the pile of bricks thereon being also narrow, the mass of bricks to be burned is more susceptible to the heat of the furnaces, and much more readily burned than if laid in a class of kilns where greater width is required for profitably burning.

A indicates the kiln, which is composed of two parallel walls, B and G, and a central or partition wall, D, dividing the kiln into two longitudinal chambers or tunnels, E and F, each being covered by separate arches,which rest upon and are supported by the partitionwall D and the outer walls, B and G. The kiln is by preference about two hundred feet in length, in order to hold eight cars each twentyfive feet long in each tunnel, and wide enough to receive the cars adapted to travel on the tracks located in each tunnel.

G arethe furnaces, located in the outer Walls of and occupying a position near the center of each tunnel, said furnaces being of theordinary kind, having the usual grate-bars, ash pits, doors, and draft regulatorsr That portion of the kiln occupied by the furnaces is double-walled, so as to form a chamber or flue, H, leading from each furnace and over the tunnel and then through openings I in the central or partition wall, D, and again over the top of the second tunnel and into a flue, K, in the outside wall of the kiln to the stacks L, located at each end of the kiln for utilizing the heat on this side of the line of incoming cars. These walls or linings M are composed of fire-brick or other refractory material, but the otherfportions of the kiln may be made of common brick.

As before intimated, the furnaces on each side of the kiln open into the spaces H in the arches of the tunnel, the bricks to be burned to be protected from the branding effects of the flame by the lining or interior wall, the heat being transmitted to the articles to be burned, and burns them to the pottery-point, the milder portion or middle of the flame be ing thrown over to and around the other tunnel to raise the temperature of the bricks on the car in this tunnel to a white heat before this car is brought opposite the furnace, and in this manner the bricks are burned without coming in contact with the products of combustion and renders this system specially desirable for burning special brick and brick on which it is desired to fix colored ornaments or decorations in metallic colors.

By reference to Fig. 2 it will be noticed that the furnaces are not opposite each other, although on opposite sides of the kiln, and that the middle portion of the flame passes over to and around the opposite tunnel to do the initial heating of the brick on the car located at that point, the brick on said car being raised to a white heat, and that the final burning takes place on each car after it has passed the furnace in the opposite tunnel, it being understood that the two trains of cars pass through the tunnels in opposite directions, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2, and that as fast as the bricks on the cars lying in front of the furnaces are burned to the proper point the cars in both tunnels are pushed forward one step or the distance of one car, thus allowing one car of burned brick to be taken from the exit end of each tunnel and a fresh car-load of green bricks to be run into the entrance end of each tunnel.

The partition-wall D is provided with numerous perforations, N, through which the waste or escaping heat from the newly-burned brick passes to the cars on the tracks in the adjacent tunnel to heat the bricks on the cars nearest to the furnaces to a red heat and to dry and water-smoke the bricks on the cars nearest the ends of the tunnel, suitable openings, 0, being left in the walls of the tunnels, which communicate with the fines K, and through which the water smoke, as soon as it rises, is immediately drawn into the stacks without coming in contact with the burned brick in the other tunnel.

The cars on which the brick are burned are of the ordinary gondola type used generally on railroads, and of a size sufficient to carry the largest-capacity car-load, such size being a platform about twenty-five feet long by seven feet wide, and when thebricks are piled thereon sufficient to held from eight thousand to ten thousand pressed brick, and the floors of said cars, together with the running-gear, are protected from the heat in the following manner: P indicates a layer or layers of asbestus felt, placed over the floor of the car, over which is placed a layer of heavy sheet metal, Q, the ends of which are bent down so as to project into metallic gutters It, secured to the sides of the tunnels below the fire-line, and by which means the running-gear of the cars is protected from the action of the heat. T is another layer of asbestus placed upon the sheetiron layer Q, and U indicates a layer of hollow fire-brick laid upon the layer of asbestus T, thus completely insulating or protecting the tops of the cars from the heat. The fireproof tiles are held in position by the angleirons V, and upon which the body of the car W is designed to rest after the bricks have been burned and the cars run out of the kiln.

For the purpose of more readily placing the car-bodies in position on the trucks I have a frame-work, A, over the tracks leading from the kiln, under which the loaded car is run and the body let down by suitable devices onto the car and around the bricks contained thereon,where the bricks are packed around by straw, as will now appear, and the car run to market.

The car-bodies W are made of uniform size, so as to be interchangeable, and the body of the empty or return car is left in position on the frame-work to be placed on the outgoing car, and in this way only one box or body is necessary to be in place at a time at each end of the tunnel to fully equip the outgoing car.

I have shown asecond layer of tile, V, on top of the floor-tile U, having heat-spaces for the purpose of communicating a full heat to the bottom rows of the brick, in order to bring them up to the same shade of color as those on top, and in this way I am enabled to burn the brick of a uniform color, obviating the necessity of subsequently sorting the bricks, such sorting and shading to color being necessary by the methods heretofore used of burning this kind of brick.

In an application filed by me of even date herewith, Serial No. 247,205, I have described and claimed the process of burning brick in a continuous kiln by passing two trains of cars loaded with the brick to be burned through tunnels in oppositedirections, said brick be ing burned by the direct and transmitted heat from suitable furnaces located at both sides of the tunnels, the heat of the burned brick on the cars in one tunnel being imparted to watersmoke and partially burn the green brick on the cars in the adjacent tunnel, and such I do not wish to claim in this application.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

1. A kiln for burning brick, &c., composed of two parallel tunnels for the continuous passage of cars of loaded brick,with a furnacein the outer wall of each tunnel, said furnaces communicating with a flue or chamber which passes over both tunnels, as set forth, whereby the bricks are burned by the heat transmitted through the inner walls of the tunnels without bringing the articles into direct contact with the products of combustion.

2. A kiln for burning brick of the character described, the furnaces of ,which are located at both sides of the tunnels, said furnaces communicating with flues which pass over both tunnels and through fiues in the sides of the tunnels, and then to the stacks located at each end of the tunnels, whereby the outgoing heat or tail of the flame is utilized to water-smoke and heat the brick without bringing the fumes 2 5 in contact with the same.

3. In kilns for burning brick of the character described, the openings Oin the arches of the tunnel, which communicate with the fiues K,

whereby the water-smoke is carried away from 0 each tunnel without coming in contact with the burned brick in the opposite tunnel.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 15th day of August, 3 5 

